- What do you mean you'd like to meet other people?!
- Don't get me wrong! You're a great teacher, and I'm really enjoying our time together. But...
- Are you looking for someone who's more fun? Is my French accent not as exciting as it used to be?
- No, it's not like that! You're a great, great language partner! Living in France and practicing everything French with you was so much more enjoyable than doing it with any other partner around the world!
- Wait... Have you met a new conversation partner via video chat?
- What?! No, I didn't! Come on! I'd have trouble finding one, anyway. I came today to ask you if you were open to those kinds of things and if you had any advice or tips, so I can... you know, explore!
- Je suis vexé.
- Please don't be like that. You said it yourself earlier: "Welcome to the 21st century!" I could practice French outside of our... linguistic relationship.
- How?!
- Like with an immersion program, or with a popular site with native French speakers on it, or just through a live language exchange!
- Oh, obviously you're missing out on so many great experiences!
- Well, I think it would do me good to have several conversation partners. It could include another native speaker, or just other French language learners who speak foreign languages. I'm sure it would help me reach fluency!
- Well I guess it can't be helped. What do you want from me?
- Don't sulk. First, I need your academic expertise. What kind of partner should I practice with?
Two ways you can improve your French speaking skills are by signing up on a website that offers tutoring or language exchange; or by getting acquainted live with your local French community.
- Well, teachers are of course superior to all other kinds...
- Let me be more specific: I need your objective academic expertise.
- Okay, when you want to practice speaking French online (or any foreign language for that matter), and you're browsing the internet, you'll find a bunch of "conversation practice" websites. You'd think they offer the same kind of services, but of course that isn't true. It's a real buffet with a wide variety of tutors out there! You see, "tutor" is a very broad term. Some websites have a screening process and their tutors have actual teaching experience.
- So they're "teacher/tutors", a little bit like you?
- They are. iTalki is one example of a platform that hires only certified teachers. Now other websites are actually just connecting you to a French conversation partner, like a French person who'd like to learn English. My Language Exchange is one such platform.
- Is it pricey?
- You mean can you get a free deal with puff pastries included, like with me?
- Don't start again...
- Well some of them are free, like My Language Exchange, and others come with a price.
- Okay Rumpelstiltskin, can you be more specific?
- Not really. Do your research, Google is your friend, and all that jazz. Pick a deal that suits your needs, and also... well...
- What?
- If you go for a website that requires payment, make sure the tutors are well paid. I mean, cheap always seems like a good idea, but here's the thing: cheap means even cheaper on the tutor's side (not cool), and let's face it, tutors with experience have options, and they won't be so available. Cheap is not cool for tutors and learners alike.
You can be a certified teacher who can give grammatical insights to beginners and intermediate students, or you can be just a native speaker with a decent knowledge of your own language.
- Okay, we're now discussing tutoring quality. Is it better to sign up for language exchanges with certified teachers, language-savvy native speakers, or just speakers/learners?
- If I buy a washing machine, I go for something German, you see? So I guess if I wanted to learn French, I'd go... well, for a native French speaker at first! For beginner and intermediate students, I would aim for actual French conversation lessons. Namely, I'd go for a certified teacher. French conversation practice is tough when you're just starting. You're basically interrupting yourself every two minutes because you don't know the French pronunciation of new words, or the conjugation patterns of verbs, or you just don't have the vocabulary to engage in a real conversation.
- Learn to speak before you talk?
- Exactement. Languages work that way despite everything ads and apps will tell you. So learning French is no exception. "Classes first, conversation exchange next" is my motto. You can't develop conversation skills based on nothing.
- You mean I need to learn lots of words real fast?
- Non, non... See, that's what most people fail to understand. Vocabulary... I mean words, are like candies. You get them one by one and there's a bunch of them and they feel nice. They're full of different colors and flavors. They make you feel like you know the language just the way you're speaking it. They feel like fluency! But despite all this, they don't feed you. The main dish of learning a language, the plat de résistance, is grammar: how you put a sentence together, whichever words are in it. It's about how you modify a verb according to your needs. And unless you're a grammar nerd or speak five languages already, grammar requires actual teaching. It requires a conversation partner who actually can explain a sentence.
- Well, thank you for the tirade (and nutritional advice). So, when it comes to picking a tutor, do I need my own screening process?
- Kind of. The earlier you begin your French-speaking practice, the more crucial it is to avoid non-native speakers. Then you probably can expand your scope to any language exchange partner who's willing to share their French with you.
- Makes sense.
- In short, to practice French conversation, find the appropriate French conversation partners every step of the way.
Do this by finding a partner who speaks French. Start with a native speaker with certified teaching/tutoring skills, then broaden your scope and speak French online or live with any French-savvy person.
- Okay, well... I guess...
- What?!
- This whole process of browsing websites, finding the right one, with the right partner for me... sounds like a lot of work!
- Told you! That privileged, ongoing relationship of ours, you totally took it for granted!
- Hmpf.
- Why not hire your own private tutor? They would be like me, but wouldn't be me. You speak English, which is a vehicular, international language! That's a major asset that gives you access to most freelancing platforms. One example is Upwork (lots of tutors on that one). Skip the language exchange websites!
- So I just post an ad?
- Ouaip. You say who you're looking for, the hourly price you're willing to pay, and interested tutors will come to you and apply. Then you hire one. The platform manages the tutoring contract that ensures you pay them, and they get paid. Of course, it comes with a price for the freelancer (a hefty 20% in the case of Upwork) but lots of tutors use such platforms because it's a safe and pre-packaged way for them to acquire freelancing contracts.
- English speaker in want of a French tutor for extra-grammatical relationship.
- Har-har. Well, I guess instead of picking someone from a pool of language partners, you're looking for your perfect match. You decide together how often, when, and how. No third party. You set your own standards. If you decide together to spend three sessions on a specific tense like the imparfait or the passé composé, you can. You can meet via Facetime or Skype, or via Zoom if you need tools such as a virtual whiteboard, screen sharing, annotations and all.
Just like with live tutoring: you can hire an online French tutor via freelancing platforms. You can post an ad with your requirements, goals and budget.
- I'm shy.
- Pardon?
- Well, I know you, so I just drop by, have coffee...
- And crème brûlée...
- Right. But... I don't know... what about chatting? I mean keyboard chats. If I write in French, does that count as French conversation practice?
- It does, minus the pronunciation. But it certainly does. There are two sides to learning a new language: reception and production. Writing is production, just like speaking. When you pick your... keyboard pal, make sure they've mastered French spelling, especially if you're below the intermediate level. There's no point in learning how to write if you don't get to learn how to spell every word you use properly.
- That kinda opens a bunch of possibilities! Like, I have a couple of French friends on Facebook. There's that boulangère I'm following on Twitter, she's quite passionate about baguette. And I've seen a bunch of free discussion groups!
- Sure, go for it. Writing as French conversation practice is actually a great idea. Fluency isn't just about pronunciation. It's also a matter of putting together the building blocks of a sentence, and it's easier to do it when it's laid out in front of your eyes. Reading books is a good first step, but then you need to write your own lines and have someone reply to you and compare your lines with theirs! Writing makes it easier to compare that new language you're learning to your own native language. Writing will give you the confidence to learn French beyond learning a few words, and also the confidence to actually speak French.
- Well, I guess once I get to know some of the people I write to, we can always plan for a Zoom meeting, or coffee if we're in the same area?
- Yep. You can even be smart and use some apps like Couchsurfing, which has a Hangouts module that you can use. When meeting someone live though, be smart. Do you remember how you were told not to speak to strangers as a kid? Well, the same applies to adults. Be careful and meet in public. You shouldn't be asked for money. Careful with alcoholic beverages. And make sure you know what is and what isn't appropriate behavior for a live language exchange with someone you've never met before.
- I'd love to say "yes daddy" on that one, but I guess you're right!
- I'm always right.
It may be easier to start writing to French people via your social media or hangout platforms. Writing is a great way to make someone's acquaintance, before meeting them live.
